Mina "Mike" Kalfas wanted nothing more than to practice family medicine in Northern Kentucky where he grew up. But then he got called in to help fill a vacancy at the drug and alcohol treatment center next door.

That was nearly 20 years ago. The Kentucky Enquirer reports today Kalfas is one of the region's premier addiction doctors, with more patients seeking his help than he can accommodate.

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As it turned out, Kalfas liked addiction medicine, growing attached to his struggling patients. He sees more than 300 addiction patients, most addicted to heroin. And Kalfas says he has to turn away new patients three or four times a week.

He hopes that more family doctors will begin treating addiction. If that doesn't happen, he says, more people will die.